The Death of All Hope
by BaBaKaNuSh-13
Summary: AU for “The Death of Hope.” QuiGon leaves ObiWan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The Death of All Hope  
**Author:** Bonhomie/BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.  
**Category:** Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money. Oh, and the edited snippets that you will recognise in this first chapter (particularly at the start) are from JA "The Death of Hope" by the wonderful Jude Watson.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 1**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Another delay. Qui-Gon wanted to bellow his rage to the sky. Instead, he helped his Padawan to Eritha's landspeeder and gently lowered him into the seat. Obi-Wan's face was drawn with pain.

The last thing he wanted to do right now was take a detour form their quest, but his Padawan needed care.

Eritha drove her landspeeder, and a Rock Worker took Obi-Wan's swoop. Qui-Gon followed as they raced through the canyons toward the Rock Worker's settlement.

He was glad that the distance wasn't far. The settlement lay in a small valley surrounded by quarries. Walkways made of slate were laid out in rows and led to residences, stores, a school and a small med unit.

Obi-Wan was met by a young woman who hurried out immediately to look at his wound.

"I am a trained medic," she said. "My name is Yanci. I've seen many wounds such as this in the quarries. This isn't too bad. Your friend will mend quickly."

Qui-Gon nodded his thanks. Together, he and Yanci helped Obi-Wan into the med centre.

"I can take over from here," Yanci told him, setting out a splint and beginning the procedure for a bacta bath. "The refreshment unit is across the walkway. Why don't you rest, and I will come over and give you a progress report?"

Obi-Wan flashed Qui-Gon a grin that was also a grimace. "I'm fine here."

Qui-Gon patted his shoulder in support, then left the med unit. He was surprised to hear that the Absolutes had been conducting raids. That meant their numbers were bigger than he'd thought. That was most likely not good news for his mission. He felt frustration rise up and threaten to choke him. He took a deep breath to calm himself. The frustration eased but he knew it still simmered, ready to boil again.

He needed to continue tracking.

He would. He _had_ to.

Resolve steadied Qui-Gon's footsteps as he suddenly spun on the spot. He headed back to the med centre.

Obi-Wan would be fine until he got back, he reasoned. He would find Tahl, get her to safety, and then he could come back to retrieve his Padawan. The Rock Workers would surely have no problem with caring for the young Jedi until then. They felt like they owed him a favour after destroying the probe droid, anyway.

Qui-Gon walked into the med centre just as Yanci pulled out a pair of small vibro-cutters. She carefully but quickly cut up the side of Obi-Wan's pant leg, stopping at the thigh. She pulled out the splint and pressed it into place. Obi-Wan bit his lip in pain and his face paled, but otherwise he remained still and silent.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon called quietly, walking up to the med table he sat on. "I must go, now. I cannot stay here with you. I have to continue tracking Balog. We can't lose his trail. I'm sure the Rock Workers would not mind if you stayed here for another day or so," he said, turning to Yanci in question.

"It would be a pleasure to have your company, Obi-Wan," Yanci confirmed. "It is the least we can do. Your leg should take a day or so to heal. You should not be moving until then."

Obi-Wan was already shaking his head. "No, you can't go alone," he said to Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon frowned. "I have been attending many solo missions before you were even born, my very young Padawan," he reminded Obi-Wan. He stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest, looking quite intimidating.

"That is not what I meant. Master, this mission–" Obi-Wan paused, concentrating for a moment on the pain as Yanci gently lifted his leg and submerged it in the bacta bath. "I should be going with you," he finally said, "or you should be staying here."

Qui-Gon laid his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Sometimes we must be in different places on missions, Padawan. It cannot always be avoided. You will be fine here while I intercept Balog."

He paused. "You cannot move, Obi-Wan. I cannot abandon Tahl."

It was like a slap to the face.

_What about abandoning me?_ Obi-Wan wanted to ask, but he bit it down.

That was unreasonable. It was merely the child inside of him speaking. He was a Jedi, after all, and could cope alone. And Tahl needed his Master more than he did at that moment. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan shook his head stubbornly.

"No," he said adamantly. "No, Master, I feel we should be working together on this mission … I sense great danger … for both of us."

"You are letting worry cloud your judgement, Obi-Wan. You–"

Obi-Wan cut him off and shook his head. "You're wrong."

The flat words took him aback. It had been years since Obi-Wan had contradicted him so boldly. Qui-Gon flushed with an emotion he wasn't sure of himself.

He let his hand drop from Obi-Wan's shoulder and turned away without another word. He headed for his refuelled landspeeder, leaving the pale, drawn face of his Padawan behind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan stretched out on his bed in the med centre. It had been many hours since Qui-Gon had left, and his wound was healed. He had spent the night in a healing trance to speed up the process.

Obi-Wan sat up in the encroaching light of morning and swung his leg off the bed. It was stiff and bothered him a little, but was well enough to walk on. He stood up and took a few steps.

Yanci walked in. "What are you doing?" she asked, horrified. Obi-Wan grimaced as she pushed him back down onto the bed and expertly probed the wound with deft fingers.

"I don't believe it," she murmured, "It's healed. I must be better than I thought."

Obi-Wan stoically pushed to his feet again. "Thankyou for your wonderful care, Yanci. If I am fit to go, however, I must take my leave."

"Hold on, young man. I was given explicit orders that you were to stay with us until Qui-Gon returned for you." Yanci pushed him back down again.

"But I must–"

"No," she said forcefully.

Obi-Wan felt frustration grow inside him. He needed to help Qui-Gon. If he left now, he'd be able to catch up with his Master, or meet he and Tahl on the way back to the city. Either way, he couldn't sit here idly while there was a mission to complete.

Obi-Wan reached out with his senses. He was about to mind trick Yanci into letting him leave, when the Force slammed into him in urgent waves. He was needed here. With his Master. But Qui-Gon was long gone, and he was alone.

Obi-Wan reached out again, but could not locate the centre of the disturbance. He guessed that he would have to remain here to find out the reason for his unease. Without his mentor.

Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan finally nodded. "I will stay here."

After contenting herself with making sure Obi-Wan wouldn't leave the Rock Workers' settlement, Yanci removed him from her care. He stepped out of the med centre just as the stars were fading from the sky, making way for the heat of day.

"Obi-Wan. You're healed." Eritha hurried up to him, golden hair tied up in one long braid. "Yanci told us that you wouldn't be fit for travel for at least a day."

"I am," he replied, turning to face her. "But I will not be travelling anywhere. We are to remain here, with the Rock Workers."

Eritha's face contorted into something unrecognisable, and worry creased her forehead. "But what about rescuing Tahl?" she asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Qui-Gon left to find her last night. We will wait for him here."

"No. He'll need our help. I want to help. He left without me?"

"Without _us_," Obi-Wan corrected. "You aren't alone, Eritha. I think it is wisest if we simply wait for him. I feel that we are more needed here."

"Qui-Gon said we would wait until morning to track Balog."

Obi-Wan felt agitation stirring in him. He was having enough trouble with calming his own worries. It was hard enough trying to justify Qui-Gon's actions without having to placate Eritha too.

"There was a change of plans," Obi-Wan said diplomatically. Eritha didn't have to hear that his faith in Qui-Gon's decision was minimal.

Eritha shook her head, braid whipping around. "I will not wait here while I could be doing something."

Obi-Wan sighed. "My Master thought it was–"

He stopped, ears straining. Beside him, Eritha was watching him intently in fascination. He was certain that –

Sure enough, a moment later a small explosion could be heard in the distance.

"Don't worry," Eritha said dismissively, "they're probably just excavating a new mine."

"No." Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. A series of bangs followed a second small explosion. "Blaster fire," he murmured. He quickly ran to the main settlement.

A large group of armed and armoured Absolutes were swarming the streets. They headed straight for the small shed containing the Rock Workers' mining explosives and tools. Obi-Wan sifted away all the distractions. He concentrated on the Absolutes. There were eighty or so of them.

Eighty trained combatsmen. Nearly twice the number of Workers in the area.

But the Worker numbers included babies, children and the elderly.

Obi-Wan turned to Eritha urgently. "Get to cover and hide. I need to go help the miners, so I cannot protect you."

"No. I can help, too. You can't stop me."

Rock Workers were beginning to emerge from their homes, and swarmed around the explosives storage shed. He didn't have time to argue with her, and knew that it would only be futile, anyway.

"Come on then," he said, "but make sure you stick by me. I cannot spend all my energy trying to protect you, so stay behind my defence. Okay?"

Eritha nodded, biting her lip determinedly. With that Obi-Wan raced off to join the battle, Eritha following close behind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon felt a small sigh flutter against his cheek. Tahl's fingers pressed his again. He knew that she had felt what he had tried to give her, and had received comfort from it. He had never felt so attuned to her, so close. If he could breathe for her, he would.

"Let my last moment be this one," she said. He felt her breath go in, then out, soft against his cheek. Then it did not resume.

Qui-Gon remained bent over the bed, forehead still resting on her cool forehead. Her golden hand remained in his.

She couldn't be gone.

Not now.

Not Tahl.

He didn't know how long he sat there, unmoving. He could vaguely remember one of the medics insisting that he leave Tahl's bedside, but he couldn't. He wouldn't.

"Jinn," a voice said to him softly. A hand rested on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. "Qui-Gon, you have to leave her now. Come."

"No," it was a mere whisper, but the response was firm. "I can't."

"Yes, Qui-Gon. You can. You must."

Qui-Gon took one last look at Tahl's peaceful face, set into a slight smile, before letting himself be tugged up from his place by her bedside.

"Come on, Jinn. There is nothing you can do for her. She is one with the Force, now," Mace Windu said. He led Qui-Gon out of the room. He placed his hand on the tall Jedi's arm. "I share your grief, friend."

_No you don't_, Qui-Gon thought. They didn't understand his feelings for Tahl, and never would. He slumped down into a chair in the waiting room, head bowed. She was gone.

After sitting with him for several minutes of silence, Windu began to speak: about missions, the Council, their exploits as students and as Padawans, and the reason that he was there. Qui-Gon couldn't concentrate on anything but his overwhelming grief. It felt as it would consume him, leave nothing behind but an old, worn-out husk.

"Bant has been terribly distressed the whole trip here," Qui-Gon heard Mace say. "She's with Tahl now."

Bant? He hadn't even noticed the Mon-Calamarian girl's presence. How had he not realised?

Mace's voice faded out of his consciousness again.

He had found Tahl. He had been sure she would be alright. They would make it through together, but she had not. Something tugged on his mind.

"What?" he asked blankly.

"Where is your Padawan?" Mace repeated. Qui-Gon looked back at him confusedly. Mace's gaze intensified and he grabbed onto his arm. "Where is Obi-Wan?"

"Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon's brow furrowed. His Padawan.

"Where is he?"

"I left him behind."

Mace's grip loosened only slightly. "Where is he? Why isn't he with you?"

Qui-Gon thought for a moment. "He was injured. His leg. I left him in the care of the Rock Workers. With Eritha."

Mace's eyes widened perceptibly and his grasp tightened more than ever. Force waves radiated from him, and Qui-Gon was taken aback.

He knew that feeling all too well.

Sorrow.

A deep, binding sadness.

Regret.

"Mace," Qui-Gon said warily, aware of what was happening for the first time. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The Council member turned to fully face him, resting both of his hands on Qui-Gon's shoulders. "I am sorry, Qui-Gon," he said, "But the Rock Worker settlement was raided this morning by an invasion of Absolutes. I'm afraid there were no survivors."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and shook his head furiously.

_No survivors._

"No … No. No. No. Not Obi-Wan. No!" he jumped to his feet and slammed his fists into the wall.

His Padawan.

Dead.

No, it couldn't be possible.

He was too young, too promising, too … light.

He didn't deserve it.

Qui-Gon hadn't even been with him when he …

No, he hadn't. He didn't … No.

"_No. No, Master, I feel we should be working together on this mission … I sense great danger … for both of us."_

"_You are letting worry cloud your judgement, Obi-Wan. You–"_

"_You're wrong."_

He should have listened to Obi-Wan. The young man had warned him. But he had been too proud, too adamant that he was right. He had put another, much older and more experienced Jedi Knight's life in front of his Padawan's.

And yet it had all been futile, anyway.

First Tahl and now Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon couldn't take it. He beat his fists against the wall again and again, hitting with all his might.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

His Padawan.

Only sixteen.

Despair filled Qui-Gon and his blows became steadily weaker. A deep exhaustion filtered through his mind and body. He collapsed against the wall and slid to the floor. He looked down at his hands and absently realised that they were bleeding. He could see the telltale blue bloating of burst blood vessels under the skin, and the flesh itself had split over his knuckles. He didn't care at that moment though, couldn't feel it.

Mace silently moved to his side. He sent out waves of comfort and sympathy.

Qui-Gon raised his head to meet Mace's eyes.

"I have lost everything now."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Okay, I know, another AU. I think I've just become addicted to them. :) I've always thought about many AUs for "The Death of Hope," and here's one of them.

Don't worry all of you out there who are reading "The Quandary," this is not taking over that fic, because I've actually written all of that, and had before I even started posting it. This is just me starting a new fanfic as I post that one.

Anyway, as usual I have been slack and not found myself a beta, so I'm sorry if my fic seems pretty unedited and raw.

I'd better go now, so, as usual, please R&R.

BaBaKaNuSh13


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **The Death of All Hope  
**Author:** Bonhomie/BaBaKaNuSh13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.  
**Genre:** Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money.

**WARNING:** There are images portrayed of the dead in this chapter that may be disturbing to some readers. Not graphic, or anything, but they may be disturbing, nonetheless. I just thought I'd warn you so I don't get in trouble. :)

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 2**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon sifted through the reports. As he read each body description, he couldn't stop the image of his young Padawan's haunting face appearing in front of his eyes.

The next one could be Obi-Wan.

There had been three bodies that could have possibly been his Padawan so far. They had all been around his age, but there was not enough information given on their appearances at such an early stage for him to judge anything else.

Qui-Gon pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, making stars appear in front of them. He knew it was merely a blatant attempt to force the face of his Apprentice out of his mind, but it was so much easier not to see those disturbingly stormy, oceanic eyes staring accusingly back at him.

A fresh wave of guilt rushed through him. He'd ignored Obi-Wan, ignored the Force. As a consequence his Padawan had been killed in a battle that was not meant for him to fight alone.

And he had been trying to block out the memory of Obi-Wan to assuage his guilt. He didn't deserve that mercy.

The report dura-sheets slipped out of Qui-Gon's hand and fell to the ground. The pile shuffled into an unrecognisable heap.

Somehow he had never even considered his bright, lively young Apprentice would ever die on a mission. They were given numerous dangerous assignments, and yet he had never thought it possible.

Obi-Wan was meant to have at least outlived his Master.

It was not fair.

Qui-Gon glanced down at the jumbled mess of dura-sheets. It was useless trying to search for any sign of his Padawan's body in a series of cold, detached reports. He slowly stood up. As painful as it may be, he had to go back to the Rock Worker settlement.

"Mace," he called wearily.

The Councillor sat up from his own study of reports and turned to face Qui-Gon.

"We can't tell anything from this information," he said. "I need to find him, Mace. I can't go back to Coruscant without … without his body."

Mace's often stern face softened. "Are you sure, Jinn? I could go myself and leave you with Bant to head back to the Temple. I could meet you there."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "No. I need to find him, myself."

Mace stood up. "I will send Bant back with Tahl's body, then," he said. He paused. "There is no need to upset her even more, just yet."

Qui-Gon nodded. The Mon-Calamarian had been distraught when she had found out about her best friend's death. He could not blame her. She had always been close to Obi-Wan, had always stood up for him when no one else would, and vice-versa. He had been like an older brother to her. Since she'd heard of his fate, Bant had been straying deep into meditation. But Qui-Gon had felt her distress, even then.

As Mace organised a transport back to Coruscant, Qui-Gon readied their own ship. He punched in the coordinates for the settlement, and took off as soon as Windu entered the cockpit.

It seemed to take forever to finally touch down again. The familiarity of the settlement washed over Qui-Gon and sent a chill down his spine.

Obi-Wan had been here the day before. No doubt trying to protect those who needed their help. Dying for a cause not his own. Falling like a Jedi.

Meanwhile, Qui-Gon had let his emotions rule him. He had ignored the Force's guidance. Acting unbefitting a Jedi.

"Through here," Mace said, after speaking with one of the Workers in charge of burying the dead. He motioned to a large tent. They stepped inside.

It was horrible. The tent had been turned into a mortuary. There were Rock Worker bodies everywhere.

Men. Women. Children.

None had been spared.

He closed his eyes to compose himself. He could do this. He would find his fallen Padawan and take him back to the Temple for a proper Jedi funeral. Qui-Gon's composure began to slip.

He pushed on stoically and moved to the first low hover-table where a man's body lay. Too old. The next was a young girl, around four standard years of age. Qui-Gon regretfully turned away and stepped up to the next body in line.

His heart skipped a beat.

It was a young man, around Obi-Wan's age, his build. It was hard to tell from the burns covering his face and dirt imbedded in his skin, but he instantly knew it wasn't his Padawan.

Qui-Gon was confused. He'd felt relief when he'd realised the body wasn't Obi-Wan's, but he wanted to find the young man. He didn't know what he would do if he was simply one of the unrecognisable corpses.

Moving past hover-table after hover-table, Qui-Gon studied each Rock Worker body, trying to locate his Padawan's amongst them. Mace was deep in conversation with a few of the Workers from the city, organising burials for the fallen community. The tent was charged with a painful sadness that made his Force senses pang.

Qui-Gon held his breath as he came to the last hover-table in the row, and warily glanced at the occupant. Another young man, though it was definitely not Obi-Wan. A little too young, too slim and gangly.

Qui-Gon's stomach dropped. He had one row left to check. Those who were almost impossible to be identified from their grievous wounds and injuries.

He couldn't bear to see his Padawan in such a bad shape.

Yet he knew he had to press on. He had to find Obi-Wan.

He clenched his fists tighter and began to walk.

The first few bodies were of an old woman, a middle-aged woman and a boy. The fourth, however, was unmistakably a young man.

He swallowed hard and leant closer. The man's face was unrecognisable, bloody, torn and beaten. Revulsion rose up in Qui-Gon's throat. His hair was totally burnt from an explosion. Gently lifting the corner of the white sheet, he looked at the young man's leg.

He breathed a sigh of relief. No sign of there having been any wound there at all, as Obi-Wan had sustained in the quarry.

But what if Obi-Wan had managed to totally heal the wound in the time he'd had to rest?

Qui-Gon frowned. He let the bottom corner of the sheet drop and drew back the top corner. He gingerly touched the ice-cold, stiff shoulder. He bit down hard on his lip and reverently rolled the body over slightly.

He had once discovered that Obi-Wan had a small, oddly-shaped birthmark on the back of his shoulder on one mission. The young man had been sliced down his back with a long, cruel vibro-blade, wielded in the expert hands of a Togorian.

It had been a nasty cut, running from his middle back, all the way up to the top of his right shoulder. Any deeper and he would have been paralysed for life. Qui-Gon had treated the wound, but both the birthmark and the scar had remained.

Qui-Gon gently lowered the body back down. It held neither a birthmark nor a scar.

Not his Padawan, then.

He inhaled deeply for a moment, taking time to let relief wash over him before he moved on.

He finished off the rest of the row. None of them were Obi-Wan, of that he was sure.

Confusion spread through Qui-Gon. What did that mean? He didn't dare to hope, but …

He walked over to Mace, his footsteps hurried.

"He's not here," Qui-Gon said as soon as he reached the Council Member. "Obi-Wan's not here."

Mace's brow furrowed. "Are you sure, Jinn?" Doubt marred his words.

"Yes. I'm certain of it. I know my Padawan, Windu. He is not here."

Mace's lips thinned as he thought. "There are no missing transports. Only the mining tools having been taken." He turned to the nearest City Worker. "Do a headcount. Are you sure that everyone from the settlement is here?"

"Already done, Master Jedi, sir," the woman said, bowing slightly. "There was a mistake earlier. There is, in fact, one body missing."

"Only counting Rock Worker numbers, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

Qui-Gon looked at Mace. "One missing. That makes it all the more possible for Obi-Wan to be alive. He may be with that Rock Worker."

He thought for a moment. He had noticed some of the Workers had been identified already, names and families indicated on their hover-tables.

He turned to the City Worker. "Do you happen to know whose missing body it is?"

The woman bit her lip. "Yes, Master Jedi. Her name is Yanci Delino. She is my cousin. I came out here to identify her body, but could not find it."

For the first time, real hope surged through Qui-Gon. Yanci. She had been Obi-Wan's medic. Maybe they had escaped together. He shared his optimism with Mace.

"Obi-Wan and Yanci missing," Qui-Gon mused. His eyes suddenly widened. "And Eritha." He had forgotten about the girl in his grief for his Padawan.

Mace nodded. "It seems as if they have escaped somehow. It is odd that all three are missing when they are so closely linked. It cannot be mere coincidence."

Qui-Gon had to agree.

He reached into the back of his mind. He still couldn't feel Obi-Wan's presence through their bond. He had first thought that it had been because of the young Jedi's death. The reason he hadn't felt him die because he'd blocked the young man out, or because he'd been so focussed on Tahl.

Now he considered other options. It could be that Obi-Wan was unconscious, he'd been drugged, was blocking or because he'd somehow been Force suppressed. There were so many possible reasons why he could not feel his Padawan.

All that he could think about at that moment, however, was the fact that there was a chance his Padawan was alive.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Well there you go, another chapter. Duh, duh, duh … everything's happening, now. Sorry this chapter was so boring, but I had to get it out of the way. Obviously.

Also, sorry it's such a short chapter, it's just that it was part of a _really_ long one, and that didn't work so well, so I had to split it into two.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who reviewed.

Replies:

**The Burninator Named Trogdor:**  
Thanks for your review. I'm glad you're getting so involved in my fic … I loved the outburst! I have to agree with you there. Anyway, I'll have to read some of your work to see how alike our writing is … it must be kinda scary to read something that sounds so much like your own work. :)

**Master kaym:**  
I think you should write up your idea! I'd love to read it. Anyway, thanks for your review, it's always great to have feedback:) I live on the stuff.

**Tiamath:**  
Thanks once again for reviewing my fics! And thanks about the well-written part, but I still reckon I should get a beta reader:) But thankyou!

**i luv ewansmile:**  
Thankyou to you, too, for reviewing my another of my fics! I love feedback. And I'm glad you like it! I feel like yelling at Qui-Gon, too. He is so irresponsible sometimes! But I love him. :) He's just too overwhelmed with guilt and he's a little frazzled and upset at the moment, so I do actually feel a little sorry for him. Poor Qui:) Anyway, thanks for the awesome review!

BaBaKaNuSh13


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **The Death of All Hope  
**Author:** Bonhomie/BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.  
**Genre:** Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money.

**A/N:** Okay, although I couldn't remember, I was lead to believe that Tahl didn't ever have her last name mentioned in the JA series. Please tell me if I am wrong, and I will include the information. For now, however, I gave her a new surname: Kasi. Hope that's all cool with everyone. :)

Oh, and I'm so sorry, everyone … that this took me so long, I mean. Well, I got it here eventually :) Yeah, I'm hopeless, I know. Hmm, well, hopefully my posts will be closer together from now on, since I think I'm finally getting into the swing of uni. Well, good news – I was going to post this chapter later than today, sometime next week, actually, but unfortunately my grandmother died a little over 24 hours ago and her funeral is on next week, so you're getting this now instead.

Oh, and a big "Happy Birthday!" to my Dad for today (it's the 20th here), even though he's never going to actually see my work :) I won't let him! ;D

So, hope you enjoy.

**WARNING!  
**This chapter contains the death of children. If you are uncomfortable with that, then please desist in reading Chapter 3.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 3**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan opened his blurry eyes. A familiar face swam into view in front of him.

"Yanci," he murmured.

Relief split her face, but her eyes remained sad. "Hold still," she said quietly. "You have a concussion, a severe blaster bolt trauma in your right arm and a deep vibro-blade wound to both your left shoulder and thigh. Don't aggravate them further."

Obi-Wan let his fuzzy mind wander. "What happened?" he asked. He could vaguely hear the thrum of a large transport under his body, and he lay on some sort of cold, hard surface.

Yanci bowed her head. Sorrow emanated from her in intense waves.

The memories came flooding back to Obi-Wan before she had to even speak.

The Rock Workers had fought desperately alongside him to save their last explosives. It had been futile, however. The enemy, with their superior numbers, had broken through their defence line.

Obi-Wan had swiped at a blaster bolt, but another had whizzed past and slammed into his arm.

_Pain. Dizziness._

_He mentally berated himself to focus. He should have easily seen that coming._

_But there were simply too many of them._

_The Force screamed out to him and he dived to the left, swinging his lightsabre to the right. Yanci gave a gasp of surprise as he barrelled into her, and she fell backwards. The vibro-blade aimed for her head sliced into his left shoulder instead. He faltered, but within a moment's breath regained his battle rhythm._

"_Bini!" Yanci screamed out behind him. Merely a few metres away a middle-aged woman collapsed to the ground._

_Yanci moved as if to run towards her. Obi-Wan grabbed her around the waist and held her back. It was too late for the other woman, he could see that. Yanci continued to struggle, however._

_Fire suddenly burned into his thigh with agonising suddenness, from another Absolute warrior's slice._

_He should have felt that coming!_

_Focus. Obi-Wan, once again, sternly drew his mind into a deep awareness of all of his surroundings. He was going to get either he or someone else killed, otherwise._

_He sent a concentrated Force wave out, and the Absolute fell back._

_Yanci shrieked in horror as she saw the wound Obi-Wan had taken because of her. She stopped struggling and Obi-Wan finally let go of his fierce grip on her. Blood now spilled down his left side, and dizziness buzzed in his mind._

_Rock Workers fell around them._

_Where was Eritha? Obi-Wan suddenly wondered with dawning realisation. He'd told her to stay behind him. She was nowhere to be seen, but he could not leave his position … he could not move to merely save the life of one, when there was so much more at stake, no matter their position in society._

_All too frighteningly soon it was only he and Yanci left standing, defending the storage shed. In contrast, the Absolute ranks seemed as numerous as ever._

_And his strength was faltering._

_Obi-Wan blocked another laser bolt hurtling towards him at close range, but the power behind it sent him reeling, swaying for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a heap, all strength gone._

"_No," Yanci said desperately. She quickly dropped down beside him and pressed her hands against the bleeding wound in his thigh._

"_Hands up, scum," said what looked like a ranking Absolute warrior._

_Yanci eventually warily pulled her bloodstained hands away, and held them aloft. The Absolute sneered grotesquely, raised his blaster, and took aim at the middle of her forehead, finger tightening ominously on the trigger._

"_Hold!"_

_The man immediately lowered his weapon. Eritha walked up behind him, pushing a path through the other Absolutes._

"_Can you heal him?" she asked Yanci without preamble, nodding toward Obi-Wan._

_Yanci snarled, but stayed by his side. "You! You're with these foul nerfs! We sheltered you and this is how you repay us! You filthy … filthy rancor-breath, podoo sucking tooth face!"_

_Even through his distorted, hazy grasp of his surroundings, Obi-Wan knew that Yanci had pushed it too far. He reached out to her and tried to sit up, his voice coming out in a harsh wheeze as he attempted to quieten her. She didn't seem to notice his weak grip on her hand, and he slumped back down to the ground in weak futility. He was helpless to do anything in his state. He had just lost too much blood._

_Eritha's cold face tightened at Yanci's outburst, and she briskly flicked her fingers in a signal. Her men raised their weapons and took aim at the young woman._

"_Silent medic, or it will be your life," Eritha said with unnerving calmness. "Can you heal him?"_

"_Yes," Yanci ground out._

"_Get to it, then," Eritha said, turning her back._

"_I cannot do anything here, nerf. I have no resources, no equipment."_

_Eritha stilled and turned to one of her men. "Get them to one of the ships. Give her a medpac and anything else she needs, but guard them both heavily, at all times."_

_The Absolute nodded and bowed. He and two others stepped forward. One grabbed Yanci roughly and shoved her forward, keeping his blaster trained on the middle of her back. The others picked Obi-Wan up between them. They began to haul him to one of the Absolute ships. He struggled in their grip and they dropped him in surprise. He fell hard to the ground, banging the back of his head on a large rock with a sickening jolt._

_Stars blossomed in front of Obi-Wan's eyes. He tried to blink them away. By the time he was successful, however, he was once again being carried by the armoured men._

_He began to panic in confusion, and nausea swamped his senses. He writhed frantically. The Absolutes carrying him swore and tried to hold him still. It only panicked him more._

"_Poodoo and tauntaun spit! What is wrong with this kid?"_

_The other man leaned in close to his face. Obi-Wan could smell the Eisley weed smoke on his breath. "Concussion," he said. "Let's get him back to the ship quick before he hurts himself any more. With Eritha around, quite frankly, I would rather be fed to a rancor." He tugged on Obi-Wan's arms again, but the first man didn't follow suit._

"_Wait," he said. He dropped his grip on Obi-Wan and walked off to talk to another nearby Absolute for a moment, gesturing animatedly. The second man sat on Obi-Wan to keep him still. _

_The Absolute shook his head and the first man shrugged. He came back over to them._

"_Can't find a hypo. Give me your blaster." He adjusted the settings with a proficient flick of his fingers. He stood back and aimed it at Obi-Wan's head. "Hold still, Jedi scum."_

_Obi-Wan slowed reactions weren't quick enough. He sent out an uncontrolled burst of the Force. _

_It was too late._

The stun blaster bolt had hit him straight in the face, and, with a bright flash, he had known no more.

"I'm sorry, Yanci," Obi-Wan said, shifting awkwardly on his back to turn to the distraught woman. He grasped her hand gently.

Yanci shook her and bit her lip. "Don't. You helped my people. Thankyou, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You saved me more than once and took these wounds for me," she said, jutting her chin out to indicate his battered body. "It's my fault that you are like this. I am sorry."

"No. It's not your fault, at all." Obi-Wan shook his head. He didn't know what to say. He didn't think he had done that much for the Rock Workers. After all, he had been unable to save any of them beside Yanci. She had rescued him as well, anyway, had nursed him back to health.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath.

All of them had been killed.

He closed his eyes as pain swept over him with realisation.

The children.

He and a number of the Workers had tried to hide them. They'd tried to distract the Absolutes, draw them away from the children.

But the Absolutes had been too ruthless, too quick.

He had seen them enter the school.

He had heard the young screams of terror.

The confused wails of babies.

And then silence.

Nausea swept over the young Jedi. He pressed back down onto the cold surface of the dura-steel floor beneath him.

So many deaths.

Yet he was still alive.

He reached out to the Force and dampened his sense receptors. It would do him no good to be weak now. He could not change what had passed. He had to find a way for he and Yanci to escape.

Gingerly wary of his concussion and his healing wounds, Obi-Wan sat up slowly. Yanci lurched forward to help him.

"I would prefer it if you wouldn't move, thankyou very much. You'll undo all my hard work."

Obi-Wan looked down. Yanci indeed had done an excellent job of bathing his injuries in bacta and binding them up. If he'd had time to bury himself in the Force, they could have been completely healed by now. In the present circumstances, however, Yanci had done brilliantly.

He looked at her closely. Grief clouded her eyes and she seemed so far away.

What would Qui-Gon have done?

Distract her from her sorrow, give her something to focus on.

Thoughts of his Master brought up questions in Obi-Wan's mind.

Had he found Tahl? Was she alright?

He had been too preoccupied to even think about their mission earlier. Now hope and doubts swam in his mind, each in a desperate fight for precedence. He couldn't tell which was winning.

Obi-Wan pushed them away and reached out to Qui-Gon. He came up against resistance. Nothing. He couldn't sense a thing outside of the large storage container they were in. He could feel Yanci sitting by his side, but it was if there was a solid wall between his Master and himself. The room was Force-shielded.

Obi-Wan longed to somehow break through the shielding. He knew it would be impossible, but he needed to reach Qui-Gon. He took a deep breath to calm his racing mind, and shifted his focus.

"Yanci," Obi-Wan said quietly. He let urgency seep into his voice.

Yanci's head shot up, and she focussed her attention solely on him. "Obi-Wan. What is wrong? Are you hurting much? They would not give me a hypo for your pain."

It had worked. The healer in her had come out in her worry for his well-being. Now he could focus her efforts on escaping.

"I am fine," he said. He leaned close to her and she bent her head toward him as well. He placed his hand on her shoulder, wincing as his blaster wound pulled. "I know this hurts, Yanci. I have lost many close to me as well." He paused. "But the time to grieve is not now. It will come, but not yet. Now is the time to get away from here. We need to warn New Apsolon about Balog and the twins."

Yanci nodded, and her dull gaze fiercened. The sadness was still there, but she was managing it.

"We will escape," she said confidently. "We will save the rest of the planet from those barbarians."

"Good," Obi-Wan said. "Now you must tell me everything you know."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon unsheathed his lightsabre. He rebounded the blaster bolts into surrounding control panels. They sparked and died, some bursting into flame and creating a dancing pattern of light across Balog's frightened face. Sweat rolled down his skin. His blaster overheated with the constant barrage of shots that he'd fired off. He yelped and dropped the weapon from burnt fingers.

Qui-Gon took advantage of the opening and leapt forward. He held the glowing blade to Balog's quivering throat.

"Tell me where Obi-Wan Kenobi is," he snapped.

Balog shook his head. "I – I don't know." Qui-Gon pushed the blade a little closer. "Okay! Eritha. Eritha said something about him."

Qui-Gon's brow furrowed. Eritha? What did she have to do with this? Why did Balog mention her? Qui-Gon's stomach dropped with realisation. She was in league with her twin sister and Balog. He was reluctant to believe the head Guard's words, but with everything she'd done … it all added up.

What did that mean for Obi-Wan?

He swallowed down the fear that rose up in his throat. "What did she say?"

Qui-Gon sensed Mace run into the room behind him. He ignored the Councillor.

Balog looked as if was going to remain silent, but Qui-Gon flicked the lightsabre under his nose, and he blanched. Qui-Gon felt Mace shift behind him, but he otherwise remained still. He trusted Qui-Gon's judgement just enough to restrain from leaping forward and stopping him.

"Alright! Eritha said – said she was going to keep him."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Ask Alani. I have nothing to do with it," Balog said. He cowered away from the blade, raising his hands helplessly.

"Where are the twins?"

"Hiding. Underground storage room. I'll give you the co-ordinates, just let me go."

Qui-Gon nodded. Balog wrote them down on a scrap piece of durasheet and handed them to him with trembling hands. Qui-Gon stepped back, glancing down at the shaky numbers.

"These had better be right," he said fiercely, glancing up at Balog with one raised eyebrow. "I will soon know if they are not, and I will personally take it up with you."

Balog swallowed, but his gaze remained steady. He raised his head defiantly. "You don't frighten me, Jedi." He moved to step past Qui-Gon, but Mace stopped him.

"Not so fast Balog," Mace said, pulling out his own lightsabre and raising it in warning. "You are under civil arrest for the death of Jedi Knight Tahl Kasi."

Balog snarled. "You said you would let me go for the information."

"And I did," Qui-Gon said. "I cannot account for Master Windu's actions, however."

And with that, he turned his back on Balog's abusive swearing and left Mace to deal with the head Guard. He had no sympathy for the man. He had taken Tahl away and had tortured her, and had consequently caused her death.

Qui-Gon left the building, jumping onto his speeder. He needed to find his Padawan, and to do that, he had to get to the twins.

He quickly typed in the co-ordinates that Balog had given him and sped off.

Sure enough, Qui-Gon arrived at the underground storage room. He tugged open the hidden trap door, camouflaged amidst the worn surface of the dura-crete ground. The Force gave no warning of any danger, nor did it indicate that he was walking into a trap. He pulled it down behind him. His eyes were met with the pitch black of the lightless room. He blinked and used the Force to adjust his vision to see around him. He powered up the lights from a panel near his head.

Pressed against the furthest corner away from him was Alani. Her long golden hair was frazzled and her eyes were both curious and worried.

"What do you want, Jinn?" She asked, voice wavering only slightly.

He stepped forward. The room was full of supplies, obviously as preparation to wait for the Jedi to leave New Apsolon so that she and her sister could take over the planet.

"Where is your sister?" he said, realising Eritha wasn't there.

"Never you mind," she snapped.

Qui-Gon could see something shift in her eyes.

"Where is she, Alani?" he pressed. Eritha was the strong decision-maker, the leader. He would be able to get through to Alani if he pushed. It wouldn't take much.

"Where is Eritha?" Qui-Gon took another step, resting his hand casually on the hilt of his lightsabre. A baseless threat, but Alani's eyes widened.

"She's not here," she rushed. "Eritha has gone."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Eritha reclined in the starliner's luxurious seat. "How long until we get there?" she asked.

The young attendant who had just brought her a glass of muja juice bowed. "Only a few hours longer, my lady."

"Good." She took a sip of the juice. "Send one of my guards in."

The attendant bowed again and left the richly-furnished room.

A few minutes later one of Eritha's Absolute guards entered. He bent down low before straightening again at her prompting. "Yes, my lady?"

"What are my prisoners doing?" she asked, taking another sip.

"The Jedi has woken, my lady. Now all he does is kneel, yet he acts as if he is asleep. The medic constantly checks him, but they no longer say anything."

Eritha frowned. "We shall be arriving in a few hours. Ready a bath here in my room, and send my handmaiden in. She will know what to bring. Help her."

Eritha closed her eyes and waited. She listened to the quietened, hurried bustle as each of her orders was undertaken. The movements slowly receding, the room was eventually once more bathed in silence. She cracked open her eyes. The handmaiden was kneeling by her side, bowing her head patiently. The guard stood by the door.

"Good," Eritha said, glancing at the readied bath and the clothes laid out next to it. She reached out to pat the handmaiden's head. The twi'lek girl remained still. "Call the other servants."

The girl scurried off, never looking up. Eritha turned to the guard.

"Now bring me my pet."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

So, here's another chapter!

And we finally found Obi-Wan! Yay! I missed him.

Whoops, crazy Eloise on the loose.

Oh, yeah, by Eloise I mean me. My name is Eloise. Yeah. Anyway …

Moving on (oh, and in advance, I'm sorry to everyone about their replies … I'm so exhausted for absolutely no reason, and so my brain has gone a bit mushy. Please excuse me if I've said something weird … well, weirder than normal, anyway :) ). Anywho, replies:

**master kaym:** Yes, he's alive. I couldn't kill of my Obi that fast! Though, it would make it interesting, but then I couldn't have any more angst in my story, could I? Well, not Obi-angst, anyway, and that's _always_ the best sort:) So, now our ideas really are the same, aren't they? Great minds think alike, I always say. I'm sure you'll agree. :) Anyway, thanks for the review, as always!

**i luv ewansmile:** Thanks! And I love hearing from you, too! But you've made me nervous now, about the title. I hope I can make my fic live up to its title now! Eeeep! … Anyway, thanks once again for your support!

**Tiamath:** "Graphic and gritty, with an overwhelming sense of relief at the end". I love it! I was so thrilled when I read that that I squealed like a little piglet! If I ever practice enough and become a professional author, I am so getting you to write my blurb and commenty-things they have on the back cover. Oh, yes, I can see a future author there: "commenty-things" … well done to me. I have such perfect English :) And I would absolutely love a beta! I need all the help I can get. I'm sure you'd do a brilliant job, if you still wanted to! Anyway, thanks for the totally awesome review! I'll get back to you.

**The Burninator Named Trogdor:** Were you by any chance giving me a hint with the "updated quickly" part? LoL! I laughed so hard when I read that! I know, I know, there's a fair distance between updates. I'm sorry:) I agree with you … Qui-Gon is still a mongrel, but he has an excuse. He's upset over Tahl, and confused and stuff. But he should never have left our poor Obi alone when he told Qui-Gon that there was something wrong! Okay, I totally agree with you now when I think about it … Qui-Gon is a bastard. :) And Bant's reaction in the JA series did shock me so much! Force, I never thought she had it in her! Poor Obi-Wan. It wasn't his fault. Okay, Elo, stop getting so emotional. Calm down, it's only a story. But poor Obi-Wan keeps getting the laser-side of the lightsabre. Wait, what am I talking about? I don't know, my brain does weird stuff when I'm absolutely starving!

And: "I think you captured a jedi's detachment very well. Mace and Qui-Gon simply walked through all of those bodies almost as if it were nothing. They are taught to revere all life, but accept death. It's sort of a paradox. They value all life, but are not allowed to feel the loss of life." I love it. I had never really thought about it that much! Wow! You really made me start thinking. Thanks! Wow, that is a long reply I wrote!

**Nelarun:** Thanks. I'm glad you found this fic, too, and I'm ecstatic that you like it. I love when I have people reading more than one of my fanfics … it's great to see a familiar, er … penname :) Anyway, thanks for an awesome review!

**Writer of all:** Hey, you! Once again, you've reviewed both chapters even though only started reading when I posted the second chapter … yeah, I know … you started reading from a little prompting by me because I'm a bit bully, but… well, back on the ranch, meanwhile … :) yeah, I had to chuck that in. But I **do** love having constant reviewers … it makes me feel so fuzzy inside :) And thanks, I'm glad you like my fics:) Hope I can talk to you soon! You're way too awesome!

**--------:** Hmm, interesting name :) thanks for your review. I'm sorry I took so long between updates, but hopefully I'll be faster in the future! Oh, and a big fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page!

**Miz Perfect:** And another big, fuzzy wuzzy (because fuzzy wuzziness is just so nice) "WELCOME!" to my review page to you, too! I loved your review! The wording was brilliant and made me feel all warm and wuzzy inside. How many times do you think I can put "wuzzy" in a reply? LoL! Sorry for the slow update, but thanks for the awesome review!

**Calliope:** Hey! Another "WELCOME!" needed over here! I'm glad you like the angst in this … I always worry about how I put it in, because I love reading angst so much that I don't want to disappoint people. So, I'm glad you like it. And I have to agree with you … Qui-Gon is a mongrel who deserves to feel guilt for what he did to Obi-Wan:) anyway, getting a little emotional over it, here, so I think I'll have to go now. Thanks for the brilliant review … I really love it when readers review with some sort of comment on what they think about the story – as in, real in-depth stuff like your review had. It gives me something to think about. :) Thanks once again!

**Masterarcher:** I'm flattered that you like my AU even though you said you don't normally like them … I'm blushing:) And don't worry, I **do** plan on finishing this, it's just that I've been a little busy … sorry! And thanks for sticking with me and not just giving up on me … that really means a lot, and it helped so much in getting over my writer's block to know that there were people out there who still wanted to read this even though I've been way too busy to even update it. Thankyou so, so much! Oh, and "WELCOME!" to my review page:)

**Delcy:** I love how everyone is getting on the Qui-Gon hating bandwagon! That was kind of my intention for this fic … oh, don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but in that book he was so … well, he was going to be a bastard to Obi-Wan, but pulled through in the end. However, I still felt sorry for Obi-Wan (especially because not only does he neglect Obi-Wan in this book, but he repeats the process and does it in TPM when he finds Anakin, too. Grr!) and so had to write a fic where I could teach Qui-Gon a lesson … ha! My little and meaningless revenge! Anyway, I'm glad you liked this story, and I'll try to be faster in updating. In the meanwhile, "WELCOME!" to my review page, and thankyou for your brilliant review!

**Lulu:** Angst? Angst I LOVE to do:) I'm glad you like this fic. Oh, a big, warm "WELCOME!" to my review page, too! Once again, I'm sorry I took so long to update, but hopefully I'll be quicker in the future! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing this fic, and thanks for your sweet response! Thanks!

Anyway, goodnight or good morning or afternoon or … whatever it is for you!

BaBaKaNuSh(underscore)13.

I can never get those underscores to work on this site. And I can never write the name of this site, either. It never shows up on the final copy. GRRR! Oh well, I'll survive. ;) Sorry, can you tell that I'm really tired?


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **The Death of All Hope  
**Author:** Bonhomie/BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.  
**Genre:** Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money. Only Neopoints. You can't have them either, though.

**A/N: **How quick was that update?

I know, not very, but it _was_ quick for me!

Anyway, I was so excited because I got **95/100** for my Design for Multimedia work for Uni, and it (my Swatch Watch design) got put **up on the wall**! They put about 10 up on the wall, out of about 250. I'm so excited! I've never done graphics before! Anyway, enough of me bragging!

Enjoy.

Oh, **IMPORTANT! Hoshine** - pronounced "hoh-sheen", where _hoh_ is as in **_ho_**t. I'm working on a webpage, which I'll finish soon, which will include pronunciations of words I'm using in this story. Will be up by next chapter. Be warned: the words I use, and will use,are virtuallyunpronouncable (is that a word?) unless you know how to say them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 4**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon's commlink began to flash. He thumbed the activation button.

"Yes," he said brusquely.

"Jinn!" Unmistakably Mace. "Balog is safely on board. Did you find the twins?"

"Only Alani. Eritha has left New Apsolon. With Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon's throat tightened as he thought about it.

"Left the planet? Give me your co-ordinates. I'll meet you at the nearest spaceport."

Qui-Gon read out his position to Mace and walked to the closest hangar. It was only a block away. He waited impatiently for the other Jedi to arrive. It only took a few minutes, and soon he was striding up the spaceship's ramp. He pushed Alani into the makeshift holding cell with Balog and made sure to securely lock the door.

"Where to, Jinn?" Mace asked, swivelling in his chair to glance at Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I'm not sure. I still can't feel Obi-Wan and Alani doesn't know where Eritha was headed. She said that her sister had mentioned something about a better life on one of the Middle Rim planets."

"That doesn't narrow down the search much," Mace said, frowning. He powered up the ship's engines and began the departure procedures. "I guess we have no choice at the moment but to head to the Middle Rim and work everything out from there."

Qui-Gon nodded. He waited for a moment. "Alani seems to think that Eritha didn't believe New Apsolon was worth fighting for anymore. That it was too poor a planet, and that it would be too difficult to try and rule."

"So, she'd be heading somewhere wealthy," Mace supplied, reaching up to smooth his chin. "Possibly a non-Republican planet, or one without much Republic influence."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Exactly."

"Now that _does_ narrow down the search," Mace said. "Non-Republic planets in the Middle Rim? Not so abundant. But they are there. Some of the Middle Rim is much like the Outer Rim. They have wealthy rulers who dictate, not lead."

"Sounds exactly what Eritha would be looking for." Qui-Gon glanced over Mace's shoulder as he began making flight arrangements. "I will go find out what I can. I'll–"

he broke off. He was about to say that he'd call Tahl to see if she could help them.

But you can't. Ever again.

Qui-Gon bit the inside of his cheek so a sharp pain erupted from it. It distracted him for only a moment. But that was all that he needed.

"I'll contact the Temple. Inform them about the mission," Mace said softly. He had guessed what had upset the other Jedi.

Qui-Gon nodded and briskly whirled around. He made his way to the back of the ship. He found a corner as dark and secluded as possible, and slumped down into it.

Tahl was really gone. He would never see her again. Never speak to her. Despair welled up in Qui-Gon. It felt as if he would simply explode from the pressure. It pushed on his heart, his throat. He swallowed painfully around the lump forming there.

_But the time to grieve is not now. It will come, but not yet._

The words came unbidden into his mind. Qui-Gon raised his bent head in confusion.

Who had said …?

No, it didn't matter. The words spoke truth and he needed to pull himself together. He had to find Obi-Wan. His Padawan needed him now.

Qui-Gon pushed up off the ground and straightened his tunic roughly. He lifted his chin. He would find his Padawan, and then he could grieve.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan was rudely roused from his healing trance with a hard push to his back from a booted foot. He pitched forward to hit the dura-steel floor of the holding-cell. His thigh wound throbbed dully in protest. Yanci's shrill objections echoed throughout the room. He rolled over.

A heavy-set guard lowered his face down to Obi-Wan's. Putrid hot breath passed over the young Jedi's face, and he fought back an involuntary shudder. "Get up, Jedi scum. You're coming with me."

The man drug Obi-Wan up by one arm. Although his shoulder wound was nearly completely healed, with only a partially-healed scar remaining, it screamed at the abuse. The guard must have known what he was doing, because in the next moment, Obi-Wan's arm was twisted painfully behind his back. He drew in a quick breath.

Yanci's protests became louder. "Get off him, you disgusting bantha-brain!" she screamed. She launched herself at the guard.

He seemed to merely shrug her off, but she went flying across the room to crash into the wall and slump in a heap at the base of it.

"Yanci," he unintentionally yelled out loud. She didn't respond, but Obi-Wan felt relief wash over him as he saw the still-steady rise and fall of her chest with each breath she took. She was okay.

The young Jedi refocussed his attention. He readied himself to Force-push the guard off him, but one of his colleagues entered at that moment. The guard holding him took a swipe at his head. Obi-Wan sensed the move through the Force, however, and he ducked. The guard looked furious. He struck out again, but once more Obi-Wan evaded the blow. In this second of distraction, however, the guard's colleague leapt forward. He swiftly clipped a collar around the young man's neck. Obi-Wan's connection to the Force was immediately cut off.

That had been their aim all along, and he had not seen it.

His heart sank in disappointment.

He felt somehow lost – helpless without the Force.

The guards shoved him roughly out of the room and locked the door behind them. They led him down twisting corridors until they reached a lavishly painted door. They pressed the door-comm and waited for permission to enter. It came immediately.

Obi-Wan was shoved across the threshold.

"Ah, here's my little Jedi. I hear you've been healing yourself … such a good Jedi pet."

"Eritha." Obi-Wan said. His face remained neutral, though his insides roiled with the injustice of the fact that this – this monster was sitting in front of him after so many had been killed because of her.

Eritha grinned. She turned to a young twi'lek handmaiden surrounded by four more servant girls. "Get him cleaned up."

The guards holding Obi-Wan clipped tight restraining cuffs on his wrists, binding them together. They released their fierce grip on him and stood back, giving the servants room. A plan began to from in the young Jedi's mind.

As if she could read his thoughts, Eritha snapped her attention to Obi-Wan, eyes narrowing. "If you even try to escape Jedi, I'll kill the medic. At this very moment she is being implanted with a microchip which, upon my command, will send electro-waves into her brain if you so much as even step out of line. Enough, and …" Eritha made a crude sizzling noise, then laughed uproariously as Obi-Wan winced.

He furrowed his brow. That made escaping a little harder, he thought.

Eritha grinned. The servant girls timidly walked up to Obi-Wan and pulled him next to the awaiting bath. To his embarrassment they stripped him of his clothes and pushed him into the warm water. He made to protest, but Eritha gave him a warning glare and he shut his mouth.

Confusion tugged at the back of his mind. What was happening? Instead of being beaten or abused, he was being … cleaned.

"What do you want with me?" asked Eritha suspiciously.

"You are to be my pet, of course," she said. She pushed herself out of her reclined chair and stepped up next to the bath where the servants were washing and rinsing his dusty hair. She held up her hand and they stopped, shuffling back to give Eritha room. She knelt down next to Obi-Wan and motioned to his bound wrists. He lifted them reluctantly out of the water. She grabbed his upper arm and leaned close to inspect his wounds.

"Healed," she said incredulously. "Nearly completely gone. I knew you would make the best gift."

Obi-Wan's attention was piqued. "Gift?"

Eritha pursed her lips, but her eyes shone. "Well, part-gift, I suppose. You will make a perfect addition to my fiancé's collection. As _my_ pet, naturally – you are too precious to simply give away. I put too much hard work into getting you." She flicked the water from her fingers into Obi-Wan's face. "You will be the most valuable one there," she added with pride. She stepped back and, once again, the servants surrounded Obi-Wan.

Pet? Obi-Wan wondered. He suppressed a shudder. He supposed he'd find out exactly what that meant soon enough. Probably all too well. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, leaving his worry for the future.

"Fiancé?" Obi-Wan asked instead.

"Must you repeat everything I say?" Eritha snapped. Obi-Wan merely gazed at her patiently. She finally sighed and continued. "Yes, fiancé. You heard what I said, Pet." She grinned.

"But what about New Apsolon? Surely your sister–"

"Alani is a fool," Eritha said coolly. "She thinks that there is any hope for that planet. I tried to persuade her to come with me … my fiancé has a younger brother, but she wouldn't listen. Her ties to New Apsolon are too strong for her to see past her own stupidity. It will be her downfall, I am sure."

Eritha's face was disfigured with scorn, but her eyes seemed saddened.

She regrets leaving her sister behind, Obi-Wan thought. She's not as detached as she likes to seem, after all.

"It does not matter," Eritha finally said. She flicked her long braid back over her shoulder in a nonchalant manner. "I shall rule Hoshine as Queen. A planet which at least has promise."

The servants now had Obi-Wan wrapped up in a large towel, and were quickly and efficiently drying his hair.

The twi'lek scuttled forward and bowed low to Eritha. She held a pair of vibro-shears in her hands. "Does my lady wish for her pet's braid and hair-tail to be cut off?"

Obi-Wan's heart beat urgently against his ribs. No. Not his braid.

Eritha pursed her lips. She tilted her head to one side, then the other gazing at him. After several long moments she shook her head.

"No, he is more valuable with them. Just trim the rest of his hair. I still want him to look like a Jedi Padawan."

"As you wish, my lady."

Obi-Wan felt several hands hold his head still. Deft snips of sharp scissors sent tufts of ginger-brown hair floating around his face. To Obi-Wan it didn't matter. Relief made him weak. They wouldn't cut off his braid. He knew it was silly to worry over something so materialistic, but it meant so much to him. It was a sign of his apprenticeship under Qui-Gon Jinn, of his commitment to his Master and the Force.

Basking in relief, Obi-Wan nearly missed Eritha's curious question.

"What's this?"

His head snapped up.

Eritha was going through a container of his confiscated belongings. She seemed to be peering closely at something deep in the palm of her hand. She noticed Obi-Wan watching her intently and grinned. She rolled the object round so he could see it, held between two perfectly-manicured fingers.

The relief that he'd felt was pushed to the back of his mind as nervousness pitted in his stomach. He was glad to now know where the rock Qui-Gon had given him for his thirteenth birthday was, but what would Eritha do with it?

"Hmm," she mused. She rolled the rock around in the palm of her hand. "What to do with it … I think I'll cut it for the centre stone of a necklace. What do you think?" she held it up at the base of her throat.

Obi-Wan kept his face blank, but sickness roiled in his gut.

No, she couldn't.

"Yes, that is what I'll do," she said decisively.

"No!" Obi-Wan cried, making the servant girls jump back for a moment. He bit his lip. He hadn't meant for that to slip out. Eritha looked to him curiously. "No, you can't. It's a –"

Obi-Wan paused. He had to tell her. He reckoned that she would prize it even more if he did. Which meant she would not cut it.

"The stone is Force-sensitive. If you cut it you will destroy its properties," Obi-Wan said. He wasn't actually sure that everything he was saying was true, but he felt vulnerable admitting it, nevertheless, and he waited on baited breath for Eritha's reaction.

"Force-sensitive?" she thought for a moment. "What does it do? Show me." She placed it in his bound hands and he closed his fingers around its shiny surface.

Even though he could not feel the Force flowing through it, the weight of the smooth stone in his grasp still comforted him. It was almost as if he had his Master there with him. Qui-Gon would have known what to do.

Eritha pulled out two small transmitters. She waved one in front of his face. "Just remember Pet, if you try anything, your friend will be electro-shocked. Enough shocks and she will die."

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly.

"Good." She pressed a button on the other transmitter. At once Obi-Wan could feel the Force flowing through him again. He closed his eyes for a moment and revelled in its soothing flow. "Show me now!" Eritha barked. Her eyes were wary.

Obi-Wan was startled back to attention. He reached out to the Force. One part of him concentrated on sending out gentle waves to the river stone, while the other searched for his Master. He sent a tendril through the bond with Qui-Gon.

A moment later it was returned to him. Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. Qui-Gon was okay.

The river stone began to glow.

Obi-Wan sent out an idea, an impression of where he was. Jedi could not talk through mind speech, but could communicate feelings, images and often a few words.

_Hoshine._ He concentrated on the word. But it was too late. Eritha had slammed on the Force-suppressor button. The Force left him abruptly again, making him feel thin and deflated. He watched as the deep red streaks running through the shiny blackness of the stone faded without the touch of the Force.

Obi-Wan felt the same.

"That is enough," Eritha said. She snatched the stone out of his hands.

Obi-Wan's fingers curled up around the empty space of his palms helplessly.

Eritha stowed the river stone in an inner pocket. She seemed pleased. He couldn't be sure, but he had the feeling she wouldn't cut the present from his Master.

He hoped.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hope you all liked. I know, it was a bit slow, but hopefully it'll pick up soon.

Hmm, I think everyone gets sick of me blabbing on, so I'll get straight to it.

To replies:

**Masterarcher:** Thankyou for your sympathies … I just like whingeing. :) You made me feel much better, though. And yes, I do HATE having Writer's Block. Hope you can get over yours too! It sucks, huh? Thanks for your wonderful review! I'm glad you liked the update. Hope you like this one, too. And may the Force be with you, too! Don't worry, I NEVER get sick of saying it, either. Lol! Thanks a million for reviewing!

**Writer of all:** Hmm, plot-wise … well, Obi-Wan – no, sorry. I'm afraid even you can't know that. Lol! And you know I'd tell you almost anything. :) Sorry. Thanks for your constant support and reviews, and I hope you liked this chapter. Keep up the excellent work, yourself:D Talk to you soon!

**Delcy:** Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! I was giving Obi-Wan three cheers if you didn't understand what my crazy self was doing :). Well, I really hope you liked the update … which was really fast by my recent standards. I promise I'll improve on that. And, aw, I'm blushing. The plot exciting? Thanks:D

**Fifilla:** Sorry about how long I'm taking. I promise I'll try to be faster, though. :) Just for you. Thankyou for all the wonderful support you've given me, over both of my fics. I really appreciate that. I hope you liked the ending to The Quandary. Anyway, thanks for the awesome review, and I'll update soon. Promise. :D

**Calliope:** I've been making my updates longer, but to keep updating as quickly as possible, I'm afraid that means under my favoured five thousand words, with my busy schedule. Plus the fact that my stories would have absolutely no chapters to them, since they're so short ;D Actually, this one seems like it's going to turn out quite a bit longer than The Quandary. Anyway, waffling again. Thanks for your awesome review! And thanks – I hoped you'd all like Obi-Wan's fighting. I see him as someone who just puts his all in … valiantly – I like it:D

**Child-of-the-Dawn:** YAY! Alive Obi-Wan! I love your enthusiasm. And who said he was a slave?. :Shifty eyes: And I totally agree with you … Come on Jinn! Get your butt into gear! He's hopeless, isn't he? I just wanna go out there and find Obi-Wan myself. :D Anyway, thanks for the awesome reviews, as always! Oh, and I'm glad you thought the ending to The Quandary was mushy enough:D I tried my best, really:D Thanks!

**Lulu:** LOL! I know … If I had the chance, I'd keep Obi-Wan for myself, too! I guess that's why I like writing him – because then he kinda feels like mine! I'm just dreaming, I guess! Heheh. And thanks for the comment about Yanci's line … I actually did some research … "tooth face" is what everyone calls whipids behind their backs. :) I read it on the Star Wars website. I used it in The Quandary, too, when Xanatos calls the whipids tooth faces. Wow, me … research! Weird. Anyway, thanks for your review, it really made me smile.

**Master Kenobi's Apprentice:** Kiss my feet and bow to me? Aww, thanks! I'm blushing:) Hope my update was quick enough to you. And I'll keep writing … if you tell me where Master Kenobi is … :shifty eyes:. Thanks:D Thanks for your awesome review! Much appreciated.

**Master Kaym:** Yay! I LOVE your enthusiasm! Well, Yanci and Obi-Wan haven't gotten out of there, yet … and things just got more complicated. Poor Obi-Wan … I'm so mean to him. :Regretful look: Oh, I can't keep that up any longer … I love doing it to Obi-Wan, I have to admit! Anyway, thanks for your excellent review, and I hope you liked this chapter.

Okay, so see you all next chapter.

And **_PLEASE REVIEW!_** I really need the feedback and support.

Well, okay, I don't **need** it, but I'd really like it :D It gives me confidence to keep going.

Thanks, and have a great rest-of-the-week!

BaBaKaNuSh-13


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **The Death of All Hope  
**Author:** BaBaKaNuSh-13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.  
**Genre:** Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)  
**Spoilers:** Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money.

**A/N:** Pronunciations …

Matridan: _Mah-tree-daan_

Tsep Fre Oulr:_ Tuh-sep Freh Ow-luh_

Mahkwn: _Mah-kwun_

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Chapter 5**

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon glanced out the spaceship's large window. They were drifting idly through the Middle Rim. An indiscriminate number of stars streaked past; stark white reliefs against the cold black of space. Everything seemed so much more immense when they were still at a loss as to where Obi-Wan could be. He could have been on any one of the planets that they sped past, yet they had no way of knowing if he was. It left them without a foot to stand on.

Qui-Gon turned to Mace, who was perusing a holographic star chart. The dark Jedi felt eyes on him and glanced up.

"There are so many planets that he could be on," Mace murmured. He pointed to several flashing spheres in their immediate view. The sight was not a comforting one. "And this is only the first quadrant. We still have to study those in the second, third and fourth. We need more information. If we can just find out–"

But Qui-Gon heard no more of the man's words. The thrum of the ship's engines suddenly faded out, mingling with all the other sounds around him, now utterly indistinct. The Jedi was no longer aware of anything other than the sudden, slightly hazy, yet tenuous presence of Obi-Wan in his mind.

Mace noticed the change in his friend and trailed off. He watched on intently. The Jedi's eyes had unfocussed and his had face tightened almost imperceptibly. Mace waited patiently, knowing better than to break Qui-Gon's concentration, when something, past than their physical surroundings, was obviously going on.

Finally Qui-Gon's face cleared. Barely-restrained worry still creased his forehead, although now it was highlighted with fresh hope.

"Obi-Wan?" Mace asked, forgetting his star chart.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. I felt him. He's on a ship. He's okay. And–" Qui-Gon paused, concentrating intently, brows coming together fiercely as he analysed what he'd felt from his Apprentice. "And Yanci. Yanci is with him, I am sure. They are using a Force suppressor on Obi-Wan. I cannot feel him anymore. He was cut off from me so suddenly."

Mace's smooth forehead creased. "Injections work rapidly, but not abruptly. You believe a collar is being used on him, then?"

Qui-Gon hesitated again before nodding. "Yes."

"Anything else?" Mace asked hopefully.

The other Jedi shook his head, his mouth pulled into a thin line as he frowned. "There was no time. The connection was terminated after that. He tried to send me a sense of something, but –"

Qui-Gon broke off and simply shook his head again.

Mace sighed and turned back to his star chart. "We will just have to keep searching until we find something else to help us locate your Padawan, then." He indicated a small planet with one long finger. "Matridan. It's the closest. We'll begin there."

Qui-Gon nodded mutely. This time he couldn't choke down the bitter taste of the guilt and despair that had begun to well up inside him, again.

Yes, he was relieved to know that Obi-Wan was alright …

But what exactly did that mean? Had his Apprentice been hiding anything from him over the bond? He almost wished he could tell, as he used to be able to when Obi-Wan was younger, but knew he should be proud of his Padawan's advancement into shielding. And yet sorrow washed over him as he realised that each day brought their time as Master and Apprentice closer to an end.

Shaking his head slightly to try and clear it brought no success. Was Obi-Wan hurt? Qui-Gon just didn't know. All he knew was that his Padawan was missing and it was entirely his fault.

The Jedi Master straightened slightly as Mace stood up and strode off to the cockpit to type in Matridan's co-ordinates.

No, he wouldn't wallow in self-pity.

He would find Obi-Wan.

He had to.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The tropical heat of Hoshine beat down on Obi-Wan's bare back. It almost made him feel grateful that his new "uniform" was tunicless. The clothes provided to him were definitely made for the hot and humid climate of the planet, and for that he truly was thankful. He wore loose, light, and yet sturdy pale blue pants which slung low on his hips and stopped at calf-length. They were gathered in at the bottom to snugly fit his leg, so that no unwanted dust or insects could work their way up them. His Force-collar was still an unwanted presence around his neck, and now there was a thick coppery band around the dent between the muscles in his upper arm. Engraved on it was an ornate letter "E."

And they were really the only things he wore.

Although his garb really _was_ made for braving the hot climate, he was sure that it wasn't the entire reason there was so … well, so little of it, really.

Obi-Wan frowned.

He felt more than a little uncomfortable in this new outfit, so unlike his own usual neutral Jedi garb, but was, nevertheless, happy to note that it didn't restrict his movement at all. It would make escaping just that little bit easier.

And to look on the bright side, he _was_ cooler than the rest of the group in the stifling temperatures.

The thought did only little to ease his discomfort, however.

Eritha, on the other hand, stood nearby, fanning herself rather indelicately. She huffed and puffed impatiently. Her choice of attire was obviously more fashion-driven, rather than comfort-oriented, with a stiff, high collar, long sleeves and a layered, long skirt.

She irritably twitched the lead around Obi-Wan's neck.

Obi-Wan wanted to rage out at the sheer helplessness he felt. All of it – from the identification band to mark him as Eritha's property, to the Force-collar, and to the lead attached to it so that Eritha could make him follow her around like a little kougan pup – made him feel plain dirty. He was being treated as an animal. Her Pet.

And he still couldn't reach his Master because of the Sith-spawned collar.

And if he so much as stepped out of line, Yanci would pay for his mistake.

Possibly with her life.

It was the only thing that kept Obi-Wan from just letting go and fighting his way out of the situation.

His Master would not have been pleased if he had sensed Obi-Wan's feelings. Obi-Wan slowly breathed in and out, calming himself with this thought. If he let emotions overrun him, he wouldn't be able to focus on absorbing as much information as he could, and information would only bring him closer to escape.

At long last, a fair-sized sleek ship pulled up in front of them. Eritha's prickly expression softened into a well-rehearsed plastic-rigid smile. She pulled herself up into the picture of perfect patience and straightened her skirts consciously.

Curiosity threatened to spill from Obi-Wan at this change in her demeanour, but he kept his face as emotionless and smooth as glass.

Finally, after several long moments of waiting (rather impatiently on Eritha's part, Obi-Wan could tell), the ship's hatch slid open with an audible hiss. After another few moments of utter stillness, a young humanoid suddenly appeared and purposefully strode down the ramp. Eritha calmly stepped forward to meet him.

"My Lord," she simpered, at the same time bobbing gently and charmingly reaching out to him.

"Eritha," he replied, bowing over her hand and kissing the back of it. His deep voice almost seemed to echo in their lush surroundings. "You're just as lovely as I remember, Sweet."

Eritha beamed at him.

The man was in his mid-twenties, with thick black hair, small black eyes, a long, straight nose, and a swarthy complexion. He was unshaven, but it only added to his brawnily regal air. The man would have been a good foot or so shorter than Master Qui-Gon's formidable stature, and only came up to Obi-Wan's eye level. What he lacked in height, however, he more than made up for in the sheer broadness of his muscular body.

Her fiancé, then, Obi-Wan guessed.

"You said that there was a fuel leak," the man prompted, taking dainty Eritha's arm in his massive one.

"Yes, my Lord. A mere malfunction, but it did force us to make an emergency landing. I must thank you in your hasty response to our distress call."

"Don't even mention it, Eritha," the man said with a dismissing wave of his bejewelled fingers. "It was the least I could do for my bride-to-be." His grin was large, and was as greasy as Obi-Wan was sure was even physically possible. "Shall we get on board then, Sweet? My men will come back later to tow your ship into the city."

"That would be most kind, my Lord," Eritha said, bobbing once again and spreading the layers of her skirts in a curtsey. She turned back to Obi-Wan with a placid smile, her eyes twinkling with intent, and Obi-Wan immediately knew she was planning something. She gave a short jerk on the lead that she held daintily between two fingers. "Come, Pet."

As the man glanced back to see whom she was talking to, he noticed Obi-Wan for the first time. His black eyes widened and glittered in interest, like shiny, hard-shelled beetles.

The man halted his steps toward the ramp of his ship and dropped Eritha's arm as if it was of no consequence to him.

His face was masked by something which twisted his dark features – greed? Hunger? Jealousy? Intent?

Behind the man, Obi-Wan could see her grinning smugly, despite the fact that he had willingly ditched her company. For some twisted reason, she had obviously drawn the man's attention to the Padawan on purpose.

She doesn't care anything for him, Obi-Wan thought, only for his power.

The man walked up to Obi-Wan and grabbed his arm with a firm grip, but the Jedi held his ground, staring at him defiantly. The man held it out straight in front of Obi-Wan, and then flexed it, brow furrowed in concentration. He grabbed the Jedi's shoulders, giving them a little shake, then flexed Obi-Wan's leg with one hand still on the Jedi's knee. He gave a short nod of satisfaction, before he grabbed Obi-Wan's cleft chin. Tilting his head back, the man looked at the young Jedi's teeth, then peered into his eyes and turned his head from side to side, inspecting him from each angle.

Only years of Jedi training at the Temple kept Obi-Wan from pulling away with disgust.

He felt even more like an animal than he had before. It was as if he was a beast being checked before a sale. He just wished that the man would let him go. He longed to shrug his prying hands off him and escape. He knew he could easily pull it off on his own.

But there was Yanci to think about. She relied on him. Her life was in his hands, and so he was helpless as long as she was fitted with that Sithly micro-chip.

The man turned to Eritha, raising his dark eyebrows questioningly. "He fights?" he asked, tracing the long scar on Obi-Wan's back, and peering at the nearly-disappeared marks. The former was from an incident on a mission, and the latter told of his recent battle at the Rock Worker settlement.

Obi-Wan wasn't a vain person in the slightest, but he had to admit that he had always been proud of each and every one of his scars – they revealed who he was, telling of the fights he upheld for the sake of justice, the weak and the innocent.

Eritha nodded. "Yes, my Lord," she answered. "Very well, in fact. We actually had some trouble capturing him."

The man frowned. "Then how do you keep him?" He fingered Obi-Wan's braid between two meaty fingers. Obi-Wan restrained himself from knocking his hand away.

'Keep him.'

Obi-Wan's strong will rebelled at the words.

They could not hold him down with chains for long, though, Obi-Wan resolved. He would somehow escape, and save both he and Yanci from such an awful fate as the future of a slave.

"He's a Force-user … a Jedi," the man continued. "Dangerous to be keeping one of _those_ as a Pet."

Eritha shook her head dismissively and her eyes lit up with unrestrained, malicious glee. "Not when you have a certain amount of restraint," she gestured to Obi-Wan's collar, "and ample leverage." She flicked her fingers to one of her guards.

The guard disappeared for a moment, back into Eritha's ship, before returning with a struggling Yanci in his hold. She kicked out at the guard, and he backhanded her across the face in retaliation.

Obi-Wan kept his face impassive, but his heart rebelled at such cruelty. Yanci had nothing to do with any of it. Why should she suffer because Eritha wanted to enslave him?

Ever fibre of Obi-Wan's being desired to rip free of this vice Eritha was keeping him in, and protect those who needed it. It was going against his nature not to do so. It made his chest burn with regret. There was nothing he could do, but he had to wonder that if he had done something differently at some stage along the line, would they still be there now?

How Obi-Wan wished for his Master's reassuring presence. He would know what to do and would have the right words to soothe his Padawan's mind, writhing in turmoil. But he couldn't even feel Qui-Gon in the back of his mind.

As blank as he tried to remain, the man seemed to see through it. He chuckled as he peered at Obi-Wan, black eyes flashing.

"You have done well, Eritha." He gave Obi-Wan one last glance before spinning around, dark blue cape whirling. He took her arm again. "But come, for now; let us get back to my palace. I see the heat is affecting you. Do not worry, you will become used to it soon enough."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"You're going to smudge all that wonderfully extravagant body paint, you know," Yanci told Obi-Wan. She watched as he finished the last step in his kata. It was hypnotising to watch – precise, effective and balanced. "Not to mention the fact that if the guards come and you aren't ready …" she trailed off, but nodded to the various pieces of heavy jewellery he was meant to be wearing, indicating that he should don them. He had removed the restricting items to be able to perform his kata with greater ease.

"Relax," Obi-Wan told her. "You're worrying too much." Nevertheless, he patted his damp skin with a towel he had been supplied with, taking care not to ruin the carefully painted markings he was adorned with.

He and Yanci had been assigned a single, rather small room to live in, furnished only with a joining fresher and two narrow sleep couches. Across the hall from the room, through the one-way door which kept them confined, was Eritha's own set of rooms. She had expressed her strong wish to keep both Obi-Wan and Yanci close to her from early on.

"You take too many risks, I think," Yanci said, still watching him with a frown "You'll give me grey hairs before we get out of here."

Obi-Wan laughed and finished drying the sweat from his arms. "You sound like my Master."

Yanci mumbled something obviously not meant for Obi-Wan's ears, and rolled over on her sleep couch.

Obi-Wan picked up the first piece of jewellery in the long line that seemed to cover the entire surface of his couch. He could identify it as some sort of – no, actually, he didn't know what it was, at all.

"Yanci," Obi-Wan called out, voice slightly strained. "Could you please help me here?"

Seeing his confused face, Yanci gave a bark of laughter, and sat up. She took the anklet from him and fastened it around his right leg. She proceeded to fix the rest of the pieces into place, until all the many rings, anklets, necklaces, bangles, armbands, and earrings were securely fastened around or through each corresponding body part. Sliding the last stud through the topmost hole in his ear, Yanci grunted in satisfaction.

"Now I can see why you Jedi don't wear jewellery," Yanci murmured.

Obi-Wan shifted, and his whole body seemed to tinkle, as each heavy, bronze adornment hit the ones surrounding it. He thought for a moment about the impracticality of it all, before sitting down on the edge of his sleep couch.

A guard was meant to arrive at any moment to escort him to a new room, where he was to join a group of another hundred or so slaves. They were to lead the procession through the streets, for the wedding of Eritha and her fiancé, even though Eritha had barely been on Hoshine for a week.

Obi-Wan had found out, from the kind, rather plump skin artist who had painted the intricate bronze patterns on his chest, shoulders, arms and back, that the man's name was Lord Tsep Fre Oulr. Apparently he took great pride in the many slaves he kept as 'Pets' in his palace, and he was famed to have the most, and the most successful, in all of the surrounding planets.

Every four cycles a night was held, wherein Pets were forced to battle challengers in games of barbaric tasks or fights. There were a few games of skill and wit, but they were not nearly as popular. At the end of eight such nights, which were known as Mahkwn, a grand tournament was held, with the winner earning glory and honour for his or her master.

Every time Obi-Wan thought about the games, he knew deep within the pit of his stomach that he would be forced to compete. That was why Lord Tsep Fre Oulr had asked Eritha if he fought, and why the man had seemed so interested in him. It made Obi-Wan feel slightly apprehensive. He had a bad feeling about it; he didn't need the Force to tell him so.

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan resolved, he would take each day as it came, as Qui-Gon had drilled it into him to do countless times over his apprenticeship to the Jedi.

Obi-Wan glanced down at the rings covering his fingers. He was sure the amount of jewellery was ordered to wear was only to show off the wealth of his 'owner' and not because it looked appealing. He was certain he must have looked quite foolish to any outsider to the customs of the planet, in fact.

The strangest ritual of all, in the whole of the transforming he had been forced to endure for the wedding, was the new holes which had been punched through his ears, all the way from the lobes at the bottom to the cartilage at the top, to make way for heavy ear bobs and studs. And, if possible, even more bizarre was the piercing they had then ruthlessly created in his nose, merely in order to shove a single sapphire drop into it.

Jolted out of his reverie as he fingered the offending item, Obi-Wan sat up straighter as the door swished open. A young humanoid stood there, bearing the uniform of one of the many royal guards.

"Come with me," the guard said gruffly, shoving the Jedi with a cruel boot as he walked past.

Obi-Wan just heard a shouted 'good luck!' from Yanci just before the door slid shut once more.

The young guard abruptly turned on his heel and walked off, grunting for Obi-Wan to follow.

Walking two steps behind the young man, it seemed as if he'd turned through umpteen corners, twisting and snaking through the large, luxurious palace corridors, and they still hadn't reached the other slaves for the procession, yet. His guard would nod occasionally nod at other passing guards, then swipe his card at various checkpoints and turn through yet more corners.

The palace was, indeed, quite simply decorated. The walls were made of plain duracrete painted in varying shades of the colour in which the particular wing was coded. It seemed as if this was simply a way to stop the multitude of beings, wandering through its maze of walls, from becoming lost.

However, although this simplicity was blatantly evident, and the statues and paintings scattered throughout was rather more sparse than could normally be expected in a palace, the buildings were obviously intended for comfort, and all the decorations could be identified as rather costly.

Couches and lounges were prominent in the nooks and crannies which littered the palace corners, and the break in the sound of trickling fountains were seldom.

And this made Obi-Wan unsure about why his guard was leading them down a section of the palace which was clearly unfinished. Scaffolding stuck out from unrendered walls. Something was not right.

"Excuse me, sir," Obi-Wan began as politely as possible. In his experience, so far, he'd noticed that the guards where not the most friendly of beings towards the slaves of the palace. "But I thought that the Pet section of the palace lay in another wing–"

"Shortcut," the guard simply grumbled.

This answer alone made Obi-Wan suspicious. In the several days that he'd been on Hoshine, he'd found out that guards and officials rarely talked to the slaves at all, let alone explain themselves to them. All he'd expected was a gruff order to shut up, and yet the guard had given him an answer.

Obi-Wan set his senses on high-alert.

This area of the palace was also unusually empty, he noticed. Although it was clearly under construction, there was nobody working on it.

It was only moments later, as he passed an unattended duracrete mixer, that Obi-Wan heard something.

There was a slight shift of fabric behind him.

To any other senses less attuned, less alert, it would easily have escaped notice. As it was, however, Obi-Wan span around and dropped into a defensive stance.

He did not need the Force to tell him that someone was trailing them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Well, my wonderful readers, I can't lie to you. I was so close to putting this fic on permanent hiatus. I'd written the second half of this chapter **at least** ten different times, each with a different direction. I knew what I wanted to happen (vaguely) but I just didn't know how to get there.

Even this morning I was sure that I would never work on this fic again, and that I would have to abandon it to the too hopeless basket.

But, you see, something changed my mind. And it may sound like everyone says it, but all of your wonderful, supportive reviews were the catalyst to get back on track. I read them this morning and they really inspired me. I didn't have the heart to stop writing this fic, and suddenly my writer's block had disappeared. So, this is the result. :D

Thankyou to all my reviewers. You've all helped me so much! More than you can ever tell.

Anyway, the reason I haven't updated in so long is because:

a. I had writer's block  
b. I had exams  
c. I massively tore the ligament in my ankle playing Aussie Rules Footy  
d. My brand spanking new computer died  
e. I was 300km away from a reliable internet source for a LONG time  
f. I was trying to finish my webpage before I posted this  
g. I've got a brand new nephew:D His name is Fergus.

So, enough excuses for now. :)

**stoictimer: **You hope I'll save him, you mean. :D Yes, I am evil to toy with your mind like that. :D And I know what you mean about the stone. It's a wonderful symbol between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. One of my favourites is The Book Of Paths series by Red Rose Knight, and I cried so much when the stone was broken. It was so sad, because in the fic, Qui-Gon survives TPM but takes Anakin as his Apprentice and neglects Obi-Wan, even though he nearly lost his life to save Qui-Gon's. :( It causes a rift. Okay, I'll stop now, or else I'll start to give the story away, if you haven't read it. Lol. I'm so bad at that. But how did I get onto this topic? I'm not sure. Anyway, thanks for your review:D Peace out. :D

**Fifilla:** Yes, I finally updated:D Pity it took me three more months for this chapter. :( I'm sorry. But I got here eventually. Thankyou so much for your review. :D They really keep me going, even when I think I'm going to quit. I especially had trouble with writing this chapter, so thanks for your support! It's much appreciated. :D

**Child-of-the-Dawn:** I know, poor Obi-Wan! I would kill Eritha myself if she cut his beautiful rock. I don't think he'd cope if she did. :( Now you have to sit there and wonder if she did cut or not … I'm so evil like that, I think. :D Thanks for your wonderful, continual support:D It's really appreciated.

**Delcy:** All that pampering makes you wonder, doesn't it:D lol. And you were wondering what collection Eritha was going to add Obi-Wan to – well, I know what sort of collection I'd add him to. :P lol. I'm so bad. And yes, I'll kick Qui-Gon for you – gladly. :D Thanks for your awesome review!

**Writer of all:** I'm glad you liked the chapter. :D Not one for words? What are you talking about:D lol. Don't be silly – you are. :D I'm so sorry I haven't been on yahoo, but, as I wrote further up, my sister-in-law just had her baby, so I've been over there, helping them out. :D So, thankyou for your constant support, and I'll talk to you VERY soon. :D

**Lulu:** And I like how protective Yanci is of Obi-Wan, too. I think their friendship is sweet. :D I think those two would make great friends in the book. I laughed so hard when I read your description of Yanci though – you put it perfectly:D She does have a **very **sassy mouth. :) And it sounds as if you enjoyed Obi-Wan's bath as much as I did! Lol. :D I was so tempted to add more description here, but I thought I should keep the rating as low as possible! Lol. :D Anyway, thankyou for your wonderful review. It really made me smile so much and lifted my spirits. :D

**Masterarcher: **Well, I thought I'd gotten over writer's block – but it just hit me really hard all over again. :( I'm glad you liked the chapter a lot, though. I didn't particularly like it, nor this one, but I'm hoping it will all just build up to later chapters which will have a lot more action. Or so I hope. Lol. And lots of fluff? Er … you might not get any for a while, I'm sorry. o…O Anyway, I agree with you, Qui-Gon did need a good clip round the earhole (such a funny saying, lol.) during this book! He's so silly, sometimes, and I really do think he needs Obi-Wan to keep him on track. So, thanks so much for your wonderful and long review. :D It made me laugh, so thankyou.

**Master Kaym:** Why thankyou! You think my work is great? I'm blushing. :) lol. I'm sorry for how long it actually took me to update this, but I think I've gotten over all the dramas in my life, and I hope I've gotten rid of my writer's block for a while. Touch wood. :D Anyway, thanks for your review!

**Calliope:** Thankyou! I'm always so nervous about how I write Obi-Wan! Since he's my favourite character, I always want to portray him well, but I'm never sure if I actually achieve that, so you put my mind at ease. And isn't Eritha just a nasty … well, I'll trail off there to keep the rating down, I think, but I'm sure you get my meaning:) lol. Anyway, thankyou so much for your review. It really put my mind at ease and made me blush exceedingly :D

**micky-nikki: **Well, a big, fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page to you:D I'm glad you like the story. :) Sorry to make you wait so long for the next update. I hope to have the next chapter out a week from now, I think, though. Fingers crossed. And I'm glad you liked the river stone part, too. I wasn't sure if it was silly to put it in or not, so your comment helped me realise that I did the right thing for once. :D lol. Anyway, welcome, and thanks for the awesome review. :D

**Nelarun: **Hey, there, Aussie girl, being really nice so easily … hey, that just came into my head! I just wrote you a song! You should see my happy dance right now. Lol. Do you know that "Georgie Girl" song by the Seekers? Well it's to the tune of that. :D OMG! I am so mental. You can just tell me, I already know it's true. Lol. Anyway, yes, I do feel very sorry for Obi-Wan, too. I'm so mean to him. I have to admit that I love every second of it, though:P Anyway, thanks for your great review, and the musical inspiration:D lol.

**Naiya:** And a fuzzy, warm "WELCOME!" to my review page:) I'm sorry at how long it took me to update, but the next one will be out A LOT faster:D Promise. And thankyou so much! I'm glad you like my story. I loved reading your review – it really boosted my spirits when they were kinda low. So thankyou so much! Another big hug from me:-) (that's a hug, by the way. Lol. Doesn't really look like it, does it?) Thankyou:D

**Miss Elizabeth Blakeney:** Sorry for the VERY late update:( I promise the next one won't take so long. I'm glad you like the story, though. :D Thankyou so much for your wonderful review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh, and a big, warm "WELCOME!" to my review page. It's much appreciated. :D


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